Related Experiment Video

Updated: Feb 4, 2026

Virus Delivery of CRISPR Guides to the Murine Prostate for Gene Alteration
06:21

Virus Delivery of CRISPR Guides to the Murine Prostate for Gene Alteration

Published on: April 27, 2018

9.2K

Hybrid nanocarrier system for guiding and augmenting simvastatin cytotoxic activity against prostate cancer

Mohammed Sedki1, Islam A Khalil1,2, Ibrahim M El-Sherbiny1

  • 1a Nanomedicine Lab , Center of Materials Science (CMS), Zewail City of Science and Technology , 6th of October , Giza , Egypt.

Artificial Cells, Nanomedicine, and Biotechnology
|October 9, 2018
PubMed

Insights

This study developed a novel hybrid nanocarrier for prostate cancer treatment. The system enhances Simvastatin delivery and anticancer effects, improving apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in cancer cells.

Area of Science:

  • Biomedical Engineering
  • Nanotechnology
  • Oncology

Background:

  • Prostate cancer is a leading non-skin cancer in men.
  • Statins show promise against prostate cancer but suffer from poor solubility and tumor site delivery.
  • Developing effective drug delivery systems is crucial for enhancing statin efficacy.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To create an efficient hybrid drug delivery system for prostate cancer treatment.
  • To overcome the limitations of Simvastatin (SMV) bioavailability and tumor targeting.
  • To enhance the anticancer activity of SMV using a novel nanocarrier.

Main Methods:

  • Chemical conjugation of Simvastatin (SMV) to poly(D, L-lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) chains.
  • Formation of nanoparticles (NPs) with incorporated SMV and superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONS).
  • In vitro evaluation including physicochemical characterization, drug release studies, and cytotoxicity assays (MTT, cell cycle, apoptosis) on PC-3 cells.

Main Results:

  • The PLGA-based hybrid nanocarrier system demonstrated improved SMV bioavailability and sustained release.
  • The nanocarrier significantly enhanced anticancer activity against human prostate cancer cells (PC-3).
  • Observed effects included apoptosis induction and G2-M phase cell cycle arrest, with up-regulation of Caspase 3.

Conclusions:

  • The developed PLGA-based hybrid nanocarrier is an effective system for prostate cancer therapy.
  • The system successfully enhances Simvastatin's anticancer efficacy through apoptosis and cell cycle modulation.
  • Magnetic targeting via SPIONS offers a promising strategy for improved drug delivery in prostate cancer treatment.
Keywords:
Core-shell nanoparticleshuman prostate cancer cellsmagnetic nanoparticlessimvastatintargeting

More Related Videos

A New Technique for Treating Low-risk Prostate Cancer—Super Active Surveillance05:19

A New Technique for Treating Low-risk Prostate Cancer—Super Active Surveillance

Published on: November 7, 2025

846
Use of Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Biopsy Data to Guide Sampling Procedures for Prostate Cancer Biobanking05:49

Use of Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Biopsy Data to Guide Sampling Procedures for Prostate Cancer Biobanking

Published on: October 10, 2019

7.1K

Related Concept Videos

Hybrid Zones02:29

Hybrid Zones

Hybrid zones are narrow regions where two closely related species interact, mate, and produce hybrids. Relative to either parent species, hybrids may possess distinct phenotypic or genetic differences that impact their survival and reproductive success. The genetic variances introduced by hybridization influence species diversity and speciation processes within the hybrid zone.
21.9K
Hybridization of Atomic Orbitals I03:24

Hybridization of Atomic Orbitals I

The mathematical expression known as the wave function, ψ, contains information about each orbital and the wavelike properties of electrons in an isolated atom. When atoms are bound together in a molecule, the wave functions combine to produce new mathematical descriptions that have different shapes. This process of combining the wave functions for atomic orbitals is called hybridization and is mathematically accomplished by the linear combination of atomic orbitals. The new orbitals that...
67.3K
Hybridization of Atomic Orbitals II03:35

Hybridization of Atomic Orbitals II

sp3d and sp3d 2 Hybridization
49.0K
In-situ Hybridization02:31

In-situ Hybridization

In situ hybridization (ISH) is a technique used to detect and localize specific DNA or RNA molecules in cells, tissue, or tissue sections using a labeled probe. The technique was first used in 1969 for the investigation of nucleic acids. It is currently an essential tool in scientific research and clinical settings, especially for diagnostic purposes.
Types of probes and labels
A probe is a complementary strand of DNA or RNA that binds to corresponding nucleotide sequences in a cell. Many...
10.6K
Cytotoxic T Cells-mediated Immune Response01:27

Cytotoxic T Cells-mediated Immune Response

Cytotoxic T cells are a vital component of the immune system. They have the remarkable ability to identify and target antigens on infected or abnormal cells. These antigens often originate from intracellular pathogens such as viruses or abnormal proteins cancer cells produce.
Immunological surveillance is the ability of immune cells to monitor and eliminate infected cells with intracellular pathogens, neoplastically transformed cells, and cells with non-self antigens. Cytotoxic T cells and NK...
7.5K
IR Absorption Frequency: Hybridization01:21

IR Absorption Frequency: Hybridization

Hydrocarbons such as alkanes, alkenes, and alkynes show characteristic C–H stretching absorption bands. These IR stretching frequencies depend on the hybridization of the involved carbon atom and can be explained in terms of the s character of each hybridized atomic orbital.
Among the sp, sp2, and sp3 hybridized orbitals, sp orbitals have the maximum s character (50%). Consequently, the electrons are held more closely to the nucleus, resulting in stronger and shorter C–H bonds that...
1.3K